Campanile, at Twelve O'clock
by VonKellcsiis
Summary: Ludwig just signed his relocation to Venice. From now on, his task will be to take care of the Italian buildings and their foundations. Ludwig's arrival to Italy will be dressed not only by beautiful landscapes and delicious cuisine, but also by an odd and noisy young man in charge of guarding the bell tower. [Translation from 'A las doce en el Campanile' by FanFiker-FanFinal]


**Title: **Campanile, at Twelve O'clock

**Author:** FanFiker_FanFinal

**Spa-Eng Translator:** VonKellcsiis

**Beta reader: **Kirani56

**Pairing: **Germany/N. Italy

**Rating: **M

**Genre: **Drama

**Universe: **AU

**Disclaimer: **Just the usual: nothing belongs to me, everything is Hidekaz Himaruya's. I'm not getting any profit from this either. If that were the case, I wouldn't have to search for dump flats.

**A/N:** Well, I'm finally uploading something! This story was a pain in the neck to get finished and it ended up as a 10-12 chaptered fanfic, as always. That's the length I usually write. I hope you like it, there's not enough Hetalia around here...

**Summary:** Ludwig just signed his relocation to Venice. From now on, his task will be to take care of the Italian buildings and their foundations. Ludwig's arrival to Italy will be dressed not only by beautiful landscapes and delicious cuisine, but also by an odd and noisy young man in charge of guarding the bell tower.

* * *

**CAMPANILE, AT TWELVE O'CLOCK**

FanFiker_FanFinal

**1\. Ciao, Venezia.**

"Sign here."

The word 'POLYSIUS was engraved upon the ballpoint pen. The blond man had scribbled his name firmly as instructed while continuing to be followed by a mess of handshakes by every person meant to congratulate him. The man's attention, however was barely directed towards any of those greetings in particular. The compliments felt strange to him; they were too superficial. And still, despite all this formal fanfare, he felt unbelievably overwhelmed and excited at the same time by the time he entered the downstairs café.

The cafeteria was almost empty during this time of the day, but it wouldn't take so long for it to get crowded around the lunch break. After making a quick order and paying, Ludwig took his coffee with him to take a sip, eventually giving a sigh. His mind was ready for this decision. He wasn't afraid of living abroad; neither the isolation in a new culture nor the language he fumbled through was enough to phase him. And it wasn't even the new project that grasped him either. Anyone who knew Ludwig well would say that his only concern was leaving his older brother, Gilbert, on his own.

A _bon vivant _and laid-back young man, Gilbert was an individual who had no luck reaching higher goals, though still continued his quest on becoming the greatest in Germany. Though, it wasn't as if he was making any effort to try and reach them either. For the time being, the older brother was just fine with trying to woo a Hungarian girl who was even more stubborn than he was, who worked as a housekeeper in a noble mansion in the environs of Berlin.

Once he finished his drink, Ludwig eventually left the facility to drive his notably expensive black car to the country house where he and his brother lived. The skies were cloudy today, but the sun greeted shyly among the clouds.

He left the keys on a small table upon arriving home, taking off his heavy shoes, tossing his blazer to the sofa and sat down there without the decency he carried at work. The silence was only broken by the birds singing outside along with his dogs barking, with the latter barrelling the room to greet him. Once the dogs piled down by the sofa, Ludwig reviewed all his transfer paperwork on the table before him.

About an hour and a half later, a thunderous energy swung the front door open; an energy that the blond could recognize right away.

"Ludwig!" A vivacious and excited white-haired blue-eyed man appeared in front of Ludwig. "Tell me you already signed!"

Ludwig barely lifted his gaze and nodded, causing his brother to throw himself onto the other side of the couch not occupied by the dogs and give him a shove.

"I'm surprised you're not already packing your suitcase," He said, pulling in one of his knees to rest it on the sofa.

"I wanted to enjoy the silence."

"And when are you leaving?"

"In five days. But I'm not sure about leaving you by yourself."

"Oh, C'mon!" Gilbert hit him in his shoulder with enough strength to wake him up from his frozen state. "I'm just eager to have this house all to myself. I'll throw parties and orgies! It's nothing to worry about!"

"That's _exactly_ what worries me," Ludwig left the paperwork on the table and rubbed his temples. Something crossed his mind; a picture of Gilbert with his friends. Antonio and Francis, turning the house upside down, drinking like a fish while his pets starved to death. Ludwig wished sometimes that if the Hungarian woman could finally live with them, she could at least keep the order.

"Tell me you'll feed the dogs."

"Ludwig… what are you saying? You're talking to awesome me. Your pets' fur will shine by the time you're back!"

"Just make sure you're taking good care of them, please. I don't want it to be like the last time I called you during my trip. They ate the flowers in my garden."

Gilbert crossed his arms in disgust.

"They ate those flowers because they were hideous. And it's not my job to take care of your garden for you. I'm a fighter! I'm not gonna spend my time picking daisies."

Ludwig rolled his eyes at his brother's blabber. On previous occasions, Gilbert himself had pruned those plants just to brag about how he was better at gardening than his little brother. The blond stood up tiredly. He still had to pack his suitcase, find his passport, set up his documentation and finish all those compulsory formalities. He also had to get an Italian dictionary, as a back up plan if his online course practice in Italian failed.

And doing all that, his brother spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV and drinking beer.

"And people say we're alike…" Ludwig sighed.

* * *

Ludwig grabbed his heavy suitcase and checked in. He wasn't carrying enough to be over the weight limit, but he did pack enough to account for all his suits, shirts, and (more importantly) his sportswear. Ludwig liked to keep fit. He had to maintain his 30 year old physical appearance, of course. He had gained a great amount of muscle mass in that last year too, much more than his older brother had developed.

Gilbert was supposed to have seen Ludwig off at the airport today, but there had been a farewell party the night before. _Frau Elisabeta_ had showed up that evening with some friends. And, being truly honest, Ludwig didn't want to know where she and the other women ended up after their spin the bottle and drinking shots games.

Gilbert had particularly show cased Ludwig during that time since one of Elisabeta's friends was interested in his muscles. Ludwig, however, barely blinked when the woman tried to flirt with him.

"I'm not interested in a one-night stand," The blond said in an annoyed tone. Yet Gilbert, still excited, answered that Ludwig couldn't "marry his job either" since it won't give him any carnal pleasure.

The white-haired German wasn't the type to bring a different woman home each week and it didn't make him any luckier with the female crowds even if he tried to pretend. But if it were Francis telling Ludwig this advice, perhaps their chances would improve somehow.

Drifting away from all of the dating talk, Ludwig couldn't help but think that he just simply enjoyed being diligent and perfect with his job. He was reaching far thanks to his efforts. He strived to forge a strong professional career for himself just so he could be financially independent. It was this drive that caused him to achieve that goal five years ago; something much more forward thinking than Gilbert's grand plan with Elizabeta.

Now, it was Ludwig who was in charge of most of the income in that house. Gilbert lacked the characteristic "German perfectionism" but the two of them shared their fondness for logic and order. But Gilbert was more focused on physical aspects than mental. He was more interested in other things; he lived his life more cheerfully. They both were brothers but completely different one from the other.

And as he wondered about this looking out into the sky from the airplane, Ludwig hoped his stay in Italy would be more eventful. If their project succeeded, they could open a new office there too.

He wondered how Italian folk were. Francis told him once that they were natural-born seducers and they would skip many rules for their own benefit. They weren't positive attributes to Ludwig, but he also knew that Francis always exaggerated when telling stories.

Ludwig frowned. He wasn't into the flirting and love conquests. His project was the only important thing alongside with his eventual adaptation to the local cuisine, weather and language.

After disembarking from the plane and getting his suitcase from the baggage carousel, he took a taxi. He left the _Marco Polo Tessera _airport behind in his way to his new flat located in the Castello district. Ludwig watched the scenery across the window attentively.

Italy gave off an aura of history and traditions. It _exuded_ art. And by the time he could even try and fathom it, the taxi stopped at _Piazzale Roma_.

Ludwig held his breath when he approached the deck and when the _vaporetto_, the public transport that connected all the different _sestieri_ or "quarters" from Venice, started the engine. He admired how that antique city still managed to stay afloat. With his background as an engineer surfacing, he asked himself thousands of questions, such as about how gypsum and partitions could stand up for so long. And despite the beauty of such a magical settlement like Venice catching the attention to an onlooker, corrosion and eroding rubble could be seen in every building.

_That_ was why Ludwig had gone here. Keeping such a marvelous city intact seemed like another motivator to take on such a project. He saw pictures of Venice's architecture back in Berlin, but mere images didn't do justice to what he saw with his own eyes. The gondolas parted the waters slowly when travelling around; safely sailing its passengers to their next stop. Even the _gondolieri's_ traditional clothing was just as fancy as the rest of the scene. Ludwig was even surprised to hear them singing out loud to the passengers.

And St. Mark's Square was incredibly impressive, with the marvelous basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum and the ever majestic Campanile. Ludwig paused, spending some time studying the Greek cross shaped square, the pedestrians, the pigeons alighting on the arms of those raising their limbs to the skies, the terraces full of people drinking coffee, and the musicians accompanying the diners with their violin.

He allowed himself to just analyze his surroundings, but without lowering his guard. Any tourist like that would be a great lure for pickpockets and robbers. Yet even with that crowd lingering around, Ludwig didn't feel threatened at the square. He sighed and looked at his suitcase. He was eager to settle down in his flat and then go out and visit the city while he still had the time. The work he was receiving tomorrow was going to be too heavy for further sightseeing.

He called an Italian number from his phone and asked if the flat was ready. Even as late as half past noon, the landlord insisted the flat still needed to be cleaned and prepared check in and instead offered the blond to leave his suitcase at a left-luggage office in St. Mark.

Annoyed for not being able to enter his flat by the scheduled time, Ludwig left his suitcase at the office and spent his time strolling through the streets while admiring the canals and _vaporetti_. He even took a coffee while waiting to be called back.

Other things he found beautiful were the shops. In Venice, most showed huge shop windows that displayed masks and typical ornaments. It was a really elaborate art, unique in its perfection, and Ludwig found himself admiring it vehemently.

His flat looked nice. It stood by the _Arsenale_ _vaporetto_ stop. It was on the fourth floor of a building from the 1500s and was completely remodeled in the inside. The furniture looked new, though the living room was practically devoid of anything except for a sofa, a coffee table and a TV; Ludwig liked the arrangement. On the left side there was a white cupboard with drawers that divided the living room and the kitchen. The wooden beams could be seen throughout the entire flat. Ludwig took his time studying them. The bathroom was triangular-shaped but it had all the facilities, including a hydromassage shower cabin. All the furniture was white.

He made himself at home, put his clothing inside the wardrobe and sent a message to Gilbert to let him know everything was alright.

After that, he went up to the rooftop to gaze at the scenery around him. A garden area and the _vaporetto _stop could be seen in the distance. The Campanile was still visible to the eye. It was 15 minutes away by foot, which was pretty nice. Ludwig then looked back at the surrounding rooftop area. He could take his breakfast here in the mornings if the weather was favourable. It was a shame it was September. The weather wasn't too different from the one in Berlin, but he could feel the higher humidity, which might soak to the bones during nighttime.

After eating in a restaurant near his flat, Ludwig strolled to _Piazza San Marco_ to get used to the path and, once at the square, he bought a ticket for the basilica. He spent two hours there, analyzing everything until the building got closed for the day. The pillars were severely damaged by the humidity and the white limestone was detached in some points. Ludwig hoped he could touch them the next day so he could get an idea of how they could stop the deterioration.

He found it funny how the religious building was a mishmash of different styles, since it was rebuilt several times in the past to what it is known in the present as a Byzantine building whose principal ornaments were the marble and mosaics, with a golden tone standing out overall.

Ludwig looked at the time. It was half past five, which meant that he still could go visit the Doge's Palace since it didn't close until seven o'clock during this time of the season. Unfortunately, the ticket price for the palace also included two museums entrances. It was a good deal, but Ludwig knew he wouldn't be able to spend the necessary amount of time in each of them today. So he chose to postpone the trip to the museums. He'd have a whole year to contemplate the city afterall, if his project was green-lighted.

* * *

The days after he met his co-workers, Ludwig noted that the group he was working with was mostly Italian. The contrast between their personalities with his own was quite prominent: while Ludwig was earnest and careful of what he said, they happily opined, not taking into consideration what others may feel. The German was patient and knew how to behave. He listened to them, even though some were way too talkative. His first days were hard, even if he enjoyed Venice.

The sun went down later than in Germany. Ludwig really enjoyed those cultural differences. He wouldn't mind getting to know many other things, he thought to himself. Things like food, which he was starting to love. Pizzas with olive oil. Carbonara sauce. The city was full of life until late. He sometimes went to walk by the canals, which lead to him finding a park near his flat. Since then, he started visiting it during his jogging sessions by sunset.

Two weeks later, the only things Ludwig missed were sausages, beer, his brother's outburst of energy when arriving home and his pets. He was eating well, the people were nice and his co-workers had invited him out several times.

Since the first days after his arrival, he was too busy with work. He hadn't gone sightseeing again. So that Friday he decided to go visit the Doge's Palace and the museums surrounding it. He spent the whole afternoon there until it got closed. He then went shopping, strolled by the Grand Canal and took a coffee in a square while reading books about the city he had previously bought.

"I should try the _gondola_," he told himself while contemplating the _gondolieri _going up and down the Rialto Bridge. He could take one to get back home, since there was a stop by the deck near his flat.

He slowly approached one of those _gondolieri_ and asked for the price in his scarce Italian.

"One hundred euros!" He screamed, believing they were trying to take advantage of him being a foreigner.

"_Signore_, that's the official fare."

Ludwig turned around, feeling offended. While the _gondolier _was saying something about appreciating Venice throughout the canals. Ludwig wanted to shout at him; that _he _was working there for _them_ in order to avoid their beautiful churches and monuments from turning into sand. Unfortunately, he was unable to explain to him in such an elaborate manor, nor would the _gondolier_ have understood him either.

It wasn't like he couldn't afford it, but it felt like each day, Ludwig was more and more convinced that Venecia existed just by and for the tourists. The residents even paid a lower price just for being Italians. It wasn't all bad; they would pay less in transport and taxes. But the abuse towards the tourists was notorious, both when either to appreciate the art or shopping.

Ludwig went home, made some dinner and slept until late. By Saturday he made his morning exercises and decided to take a _vaporetto_. He was highlighting all the stops he wanted to make in his tourism book.

Murano, Burano and Torcello occupied his whole Saturday. He really enjoyed the nearby colourful and living islands, with its glass factory and the visits to their basilicas. If Gilbert made his mind up to pay him a visit, he would tour him to those islands beyond a shadow of a doubt. He would make him try the _spritz _too, a local beverage consisting of wine, sparkling water and Campari liqueur. Ludwig took pictures of the three islands and went back to _San Marco _later, after all the museums were already closed. The driver suggested the tourists to go visit the _Campanile_, and since Ludwig would take the Sunday off to rest in his flat and work in his project, he bought a ticket, waited half an hour in the queue and went upstairs.

The tower, with a height of ninety-nine meters, built in red bricks, was a lighthouse in antiquity. The foundations collapsed the 14th of July of 1902 and it was rebuilt ten years later with a reinforced structure, just like the St. Mark's Basilica. Ludwig recalled the five bells from the Campanile. Each of them rang for one purpose: the _Marangona_, the bigger one, announced the beginning and end of the workday; the _Maleficio_, the smallest one, announced the death sentences; the _Nona_ rang at nine o'clock; the _Trottiera_ was used to advise the members of the _Maggior Consiglio_, the Great Council of Venice, to go to the congress camera; and finally, the _Mezza terza_ rang during the Senate's meetings.

The views were impressive. The St Mark's Basilica, the San Giorgio Maggiore island, the Santa Maria della Salute Basilica, the Venetian Lagoon… A bird's-eye-view over the marvelous island.

At seven o'clock the main bell rang giving the time, and Ludwig had to cover his ears. That bell was one of the main wonders of the island, but it was incredibly irritating to anyone standing nearby.

"Those Italians are loud, even when telling the time," he thought. Though the Italians could pay attention to the _Campanile_ to be on time, it didn't make sense to him that one of their negative points was that they never appear on time.

Ludwig hadn't realized how lost he was in his own thoughts until a young man appeared at the entrance way, just when there was no one left.

"_Signore_, we're about to close." The man told him and, just to be sure, said the same thing in English.

"I-I'm sorry." Ludwig apologised, moving closer to the door.

That man was wearing a white striped blue uniform and a name tag over his chest with the word "guardaportone" in it. He must be a caretaker of some sort.

"If you enjoyed the visit, you can come back tomorrow." He proceeded in English.

"Thank you." The blond answered and followed the worker towards the lift. There was a small digression of silence while the lift went down.

"Where do you come from?" Ludwig turned around, curious to see the young man wanted to hold a chat.

"West Germany."

The Italian wrinkled his nose.

"I don't speak German… Only the Romance languages."

"T-That's fine." Ludwig said out of courtesy. He wasn't good at socializing, even less with a language barrier in between. The more he tried to speak Italian, the more got nervous, stuttering, and embarrassed he became.

"_Prego!_" The other man said, smiling widely while opening the big gates in the entrance. "Here we are, veee~."

Ludwig left the tower and walked back home. He would take some pizza for dinner, he decided.

* * *

**T/N:** I would love to thank both FanFiker-FanFinal for letting me translate this fanfic and Kirani56 for beta-reading my translation! She transformed my heavily Spanish-influenced way of writing into something an English native-speaker would write, so I'm deeply thankful to her! This fanfic is already complete in its original language, and I'm planning on finishing this translation, so there's nothing to fear! It will take us some time, tho!

Thanks for reading my T/N!


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